Alan Parks, professor of mathematics and Pieper Family Professor of Servant Leadership, is well suited to a learning community with few boundaries. His mathematics scholarship and personal affinity for applied mathematics and music naturally shift from his classroom to the community and the conservatory.
Parks teaches two upper level mathematics courses of interest to students of economics, and the mathematics and economics departments work together on a combined major. A shared approach that is rare at other colleges, “It’s a typical feature of Lawrence that we have two departments working very closely together,” he said. Collegiality among Lawrence faculty creates unique learning opportunities, and Parks has joined five of his peers and Robert Perille ’80, to launch Lawrence Scholars in Business, a program connecting students with alumni business professionals through on-campus presentations and internships. Parks views LSB as “a Lawrence liberal arts approach” to preparing students for careers in the financial world, and also as an opportunity to share his interest in the subject of business ethics.
As director of the Office of Engaged Learning, now in its second year, Parks also shepherds service and community outreach activities that are based on courses in the curriculum. Among the first year highlights were a partnership with the Appleton Fire Department focused on safety education, a global outreach program to raise awareness and funding for African children living in poverty, and a student group promoting the value of a college education to elementary, junior high, and high school students. “Almost everything we try has been well-received,” Parks said. “We’ve seen a high level of student initiative and enthusiasm, demonstrating their commitment to service and outreach.”
In 2007, Parks earned the Freshman Studies Teaching Award. When time allows, the self-described “serious amateur” guitar player studies and plays modern worship music, classical music, and melodic jazz compositions.
View other faculty profiles from the president's annual report
